3 players West Ham United could potentially sign this summer
West Ham United finished seventh in the table last season, missing out on a Europa League spot to Manchester United. West Ham also fell short in Europe and failed to reach the Europa League final, losing to Eintracht Frankfurt in the semi-final.
It was still one of West Ham's better seasons and another progressive one for their manager David Moyes.
West Ham fans want the club to push on and invest in the team this summer. Their owners, David Gold and David Sullivan, have failed to spend more than £100 million in the transfer window since 2019.
Below are three players that could move to the London Stadium.
#1 Armando Broja - West Ham's depth in attack
Armando Broja is a 20-year-old striker who spent last season on loan at Southampton from Chelsea. Broja scored six goals for the Saints in the Premier League and won many admirers for his combative spirit leading the line for his team. Many teams are now enquiring about the availability of Broja, and West Ham are said to be leading the queue, according to Sky Sports.
5 - Armando Broja is the youngest player to have scored 5+ goals in the Premier League this season (20y 123d), and one of only two under-21's to do so, along with Bukayo Saka (6). Emergence. https://t.co/TCr6wKhaAC
Broja would be an exciting addition to the club, and he would add some much-needed depth to the attack. Michail Antonio is West Ham's only striker, and Andriy Yarmolenko will not be retained by the club for the new season. As per Di Marzio, a deal could be struck for around £30 million, but journalist Ben Jacobs has reported that Thomas Tuchel still wants to assess Broja in pre-season.
#2 Oleksandr Zinchenko - A versatile player
Oleksandr Zinchenko just won the Premier League with Manchester City for the second season in a row, but it seems he could be on the move this summer. According to the Evening Standard, both West Ham and Arsenal are looking to sign the player due to the versatility he offers in midfield and at left-back. As per The Athletic, Frank Lampard is also keen to bring Zinchenko to Everton.
#MCFC
| Zinchenko could leave Man City this summer.Manchester City are prepared to let Oleksandr Zinchenko leave as they are targeting Marc Cucurella, with an official bid coming soon - decision was made in May 🔵 #MCFC
Zinchenko can be sold and Everton have his name in the list as one of the main targets. Other clubs also keen. twitter.com/City_Zone_/sta…
Zinchenko has two years left on his contract, so Manchester City will probably set a proportional price for him. The Ukrainian international wants to play regularly, and Manchester City's intention to sign Brighton and Hove Albion left-back Marc Cucurella would have sent the wrong signal to Zinchenko. Zinchenko would bring experience and quality to any team, but it will be a tough race to land him this summer.
#3 James Ward-Prowse - A consistent leader
Southampton midfielder James Ward-Prowse has long been touted for a move to a bigger club in many transfer windows, but he has stayed loyal to the Saints. With 11 goals and eight assists last season, he is once again attracting interest from England's top teams.
Transfer news specialist Fabrizio Romano has reported that West Ham are one of the teams that are interested in Ward-Prowse this summer.
8 - James Ward-Prowse has scored eight direct free-kick goals in the Premier League since the start of last season, which is twice as many as any other player in Europe's big five leagues and four times as many as any other Premier League player. Prowess. https://t.co/84Efy8RvVq
With Mark Noble retiring at the end of last season, the Hammers midfield lacks depth in terms of creativity. Tomáš Souček and Declan Rice suit a deeper role, while Alex Král fits a similar mold. Ward-Prowse would bring a brilliant work ethic to the midfield, and the danger he offers from set pieces with his right foot is well known.
The stumbling block will be the fee, with Ward-Prowse having four years left on his contract. According to The Sun, Southampton have set the price at £75 million, which is steep for any team.